Bitcoin ETFs hold billions despite price crash, but resilience masks harsh reality
Bitcoin spot ETFs in the United States still hold about $85 billion in assets, despite the BTC price crash.
Arthur Hayes says Bitcoin’s price drop shows a credit crunch may be on the way.
Mubadala Investment Company, the sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi, reported holding 12,702,323 shares of BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT).
February 18, 2026, 7:34 amCrypto majors soften while Asian equities rebound modestly, with traders continuing to weigh quantum fears, ETF flows and a possible shift in bitcoin’s broader trend.
February 18, 2026, 7:03 amBitcoin spot ETFs in the United States still hold about $85 billion in assets, despite the BTC price crash.
Galaxy Digital head of research Alex Thorn is pushing back on a growing critique that Bitcoin has “failed” its digital gold promise, arguing that the label was always about BTC’s monetary properties, not a guarantee it would trade like bullion in every macro regime.
On-chain analytics firm Glassnode has highlighted how accumulation during the recent Bitcoin drop has looked weaker than some past crashes. Bitcoin Accumulation Trend Score Doesn’t Indicate Strong Accumulation In a new post on X, Glassnode has talked about the latest trend in the Accumulation Trend Score of Bitcoin.
Arthur Hayes warns that AI-related job losses will spark a credit crisis, forcing central banks to print money, which will drive Bitcoin to new all-time highs.
Bitcoin has faced persistent selling pressure since October, when the price reversed sharply after reaching an all-time high near $125,000. Within weeks, the market dropped toward the $60,000 region, triggering a broad shift in sentiment from late-cycle optimism to defensive positioning.
While much of the market’s attention remains fixed on the Bitcoin (BTC) short-term price outlook for the remainder of the year, some early industry voices are raising a far longer-term concern — one that could introduce as much as $274 billion in potential selling pressure over the next decade.
Soluna Holdings is deepening its ties with Blockware, adding 6 megawatts (MW) of capacity at Project Dorothy 1 in West Texas as deployment moves toward completion by the end of February. Bitcoin Miner and HPC Service Provider Soluna Strengthens Texas Presence With Capacity Increase Soluna Holdings Inc.
Bitcoin continues to struggle to reclaim the $70,000 level, with price action increasingly confined to a broad range above $60,000. This consolidation reflects persistent selling pressure near resistance while buyers appear willing to defend lower levels, creating a temporary equilibrium rather than a clear directional trend.
XRP’s bearish price action extends, capping off brief upward attempts and keeping the token well below the $2 level. Even with ongoing waning price action, the altcoin continues to attract a notable wave of capital ahead of Bitcoin and Ethereum, the two leading cryptocurrency assets.